Three Ford F-Series 4x4s with a Total of 1,171,000 Miles

We usually cover utility vehicles in the pages of 4WHEEL DRIVE MAGAZINE, but as long as the vehicle is a 4x4 that goes off-road, it can (and may) appear here. Many of our readers tow their rigs to the dirt, so tow vehicles are of interest.

Stuart Stout of Hurricane, Utah, owns three Ford F-Series 4x4 diesel trucks that have racked up a cumulative 1,171,000 miles! These trucks aren’t stock. They’ve been modified to deliver levels of performance much higher than OE, with the 1997 F250 even returning respectable times at the drag strip.

All three trucks are used every day to haul trailers, carrying everything from roofing to farm and ranch supplies, including animals.

Stuart purchased his 1997 F250 4x4 when it was 1 year old with 2,200 miles on the odometer. He immediately installed a chip, exhaust, and air intake. At 150,000 miles, he installed Stage 2 injectors, turbo, intercooler and a transmission from Brian’s Truck Shop. He ran it that way until 460,000 miles, with the only repairs required being minor brake issues. The alternator was replaced at 460,000 and the truck soldiered on until 507,000 miles, when the original 7.3L failed due to a chipped exhaust valve. A new Wide Open Performance 7.3L with cryoed block, girdle, billet rods, fire-ringed heads, and head studs were installed. The truck can do the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds and pulls every day. It now has 600,000 miles on the clock.

Stuart’s second truck is a 1999 Ford Super Duty F350 4x4 diesel. Once it was in his clutches, he immediately went to work and fire-ringed the heads, installed head studs, billet rods, Industrial Stage II injectors, Hypermax intercooler and turbo kit, TTS chip, Procol gauges, dual high-pressure oil pumps, 56-gallon fuel tank in the bed, propane, and a BTS transmission. The OE 3.73 gears and suspension were left alone, although air bags were added to assist the rear leaf packs when towing heavy loads. The 315/75R17LT Cooper Discoverer ST tires were mounted on AR alloy wheels.

Stuart’s ’99 F350 Super Duty was the first year for the truck’s new design. This one has 355,000 miles on it.

This setup works, too, as this truck now has 355,000 miles on it and is going strong.

Stuart’s “newest” truck is a 2005 Ford F350 (not F550, as the badge says) Super Duty 4x4 with the 6.0L diesel. This truck is lightly modified with 4.30 gears, head studs that are needed in 6.0L Powerstrokes, air intake, dual alternators, and a Bully Dog Programmer. It sports a 6-inch lift so 37-inch tires could be run. The truck didn’t tow heavy loads well with 37s, so Stuart swapped them for 35x12.50R18LT Toyo Open Country MTs mounted on 18-inch alloy wheels. This 2005 is still fairly new with only 216,000 miles on it.

Newest of the three trucks, Stuart’s 2005 F350 (not an F550, as badged) only has 216,000 miles on it. It features a 6-inch spring lift in front and 6-inch blocks in the rear.

Update: Right before we shipped this issue to press, Stuart informed us he just sold the ’05 to purchase a new 2011 Super Duty.

What a testament to Ford durability! Stuart and his family aren’t easy on any of these trucks, requiring them to pull loads above their design limits daily. Yet, the trucks keep on running well. We’re sure Stuart will immediately dive into his 2011 and make it even better than it already is. We’ll check it out when it has 500,000 miles on it.